The present invention is directed toward converting a plastic bottle, such as a carbonated soft drink container, into bird feeder by the combination of certain apparatus and components therewith in a method for modifying the bottle. The invention is more specifically directed for use with two-liter soft-drink bottles wherein the method incorporates the use of components for affixation and modification to a bottle whereby to provide a combination of these components with the plastic bottle that creates a very useful and enjoyable bird feeder.
Plastic bottles are commonly employed for a variety of liquid refreshments and are particularly well represented in the carbonated soft drink aisles of a supermarket. A popular size is a two-liter plastic bottle that is usually clear with a separate, opaque, thicker base portion that is attached at the bottom of the bottle. Bottles of this widely known design are usually made by stretch blow molding. The affixed base portion serves as pedestal, or support stand, at the curved bottom of the bottle and is generally cup-shaped to extend upwardly along a portion of the sidewall of the clear plastic container. The clear portion of the bottle also usually includes various labels and markings by the manufacturers, showing trademarks, logos, contents, designs, and the like.
Almost always, the upper neck portion of the bottle is thread-engaged by a threaded metal closure cap which is sealed at the bottling plant to maintain the carbonation until opened by the consumer.
Rather than discard these sturdy bottles once the contents are consumed, it is the primary purpose of this invention to provide components, and a method, for modifying such a plastic bottle whereby the components combine with the plastic bottle, to create a very useful and pleasing bird feeder which will last for an essentially indefinite period out-of-doors for attracting and feeding birds without much expense or a great deal of effort required by the consumer and his family.
It is the further goal of the invention to provide a set of kit components which permit the consumer to modify plastic bottles by an easily followed set of steps, which components combine with the plastic bottle to provide a bird feeder that may be hung from a tree branch, porch, balcony, or the like.
It is the further goal of the invention to provide apparatus components and a tool to be used in a method of modifying a plastic bottle, in which the components may be formed in various sizes for use not only with two-liter plastic bottles, but smaller or larger, or differently shaped plastic containers.
It is a also an object of the invention to provide a method of modifying a plastic bottle by the utilization of certain apparatus and components in which trademark or design indicia around the exterior of the bottle may be decoratively concealed by a sleeve-like covering having a coloful and esthetically pleasing appearance.
It is additionally an objective of the invention to provide such a decorative sleeve that includes markings thereon whereby to act as a template for the proper location of particularly shaped cut-outs for the disposition thereat of bird feeder trays to be filled by birdseed contained inside the plastic bottle.
It is further an objective of the invention to provide means for supporting a plastic bottle from the cap thereof, whereby in combination with the other elements, the resulting bird feeder may be supported by a string, cord, or chain, from a tree, or the like. It is moreover a goal of the invention to provide a cover means for preventing squirrels and the like from easily taking bird seed from the feeder. Additionally, it is an allied goal of the invention to provide a funnel component for utilization at the neck opening of the plastic bottle whereby the bird feeder may be easily replenished with bird seed.
It is a concomitent objective to provide a plurality of feeder trays, or dishes, which are insertable through cut-outs in the side of the bottle and also through correspondingly located cut-outs in a decorative sleeve means in one embodiment of the invention.
Accordingly, there is a further objective of the invention to provide a piercing-and-slitting tool means whereby to create particularly shaped cut-outs and flaps in the sidewall of a plastic bottle that cooperate with the bird feeder trays so that the bird feeder trays may be inserted into the sidewall and securely held by the cut-outs and flaps.
It is further an objective of the invention to provide a cap washer means for insertion interiorly of the bottle closure cap, which is cooperative with one end of a supporting string or line means for the support of the feeder device by means of a hook or the like attached at the other end of the supporting line means.
It is further an objective of the invention to provide a cover, decorative sleeve, and funnel means, all which may be manufactured in a pre-assembled flat arrangement and then bent and folded into an assembled configuration for combination with the plastic bottle by means of tab-and-slot engagements whereby the apparatus for practice of the method may be placed into flat compact packaging for sale to the consumer and thereafter folded, bent, and tab/slot secured, to achieve the specific shape and form to be used for the conversion of a plastic bottle into a bird feeder.
It is a further an objective of the invention to provide a piercing-and-slitting tool that will allow for the formation of particularly shaped H-slots that serve to overlie portions of the feeder trays insertable therethrough in order to support the tray at the bottle sidewall. Additionally, it is a goal to provide indents at lateral edges of the feeder trays to accommodate vertical edges of the cut-out slots which thereby engagingly cooperate so that the feeder trays are wedgingly and laterally supported the by vertical edges formed along the edgs of the cut-out slots of the bottle sidewall.
The invention may be first summarized as providing a method for modifying a conventional plastic bottle, preferably of the kind containing a carbonated beverage, to provide a bird feeder device for the backyard, porch, patio, etc. The method for modifying the plastic bottle may involve a step of covering the bottle with a flexible sleeve-like sheet that extends from near the neck of the bottle downwardly therearound to the bottom base, or stand portion, and fastening the sleeve-like member thereby to be decoratively arranged around the exterior of the bottle.
The method further includes piercing the wall of the plastic bottle by use of a piercing-and-slitting tool whereby to form a plurality of generally H-shaped cut-out slots. The sleeve-like, decorative member, if it is to be located to cover around the sidewall along the H-shaped sidewall cut-outs, will necessarily be required to have corresponding H-shaped cut-outs for insertion of feeder trays therethrough. The sleeve-like member may then optionally be pre-marked, or pre-cut, to thereby serve as a template guide for cutting the sidewall when placed therearound. The method further includes the step of inserting a plurality of feeder tray members through the pierced H-slots whereby an upper flap and lower flap of the H-slot serve to hold the feeder tray members to keep them from pivoting upwardly or downwardly.
The steps further include removing the threaded closure cap from the bottle and inserting therein a cap washer means. The cap washer means includes a central opening and the piercing device may be used to centrally cut a positionally corresponding hole in the bottle closure cap. Thereafter, a string, cord, or line, means may be knotted at the bottom and inserted through the cap washer means and closure cap holes for engagement above with a support hook, for example, or the simple direct attachment to a tree limb, porch, etc.
In order to deter squirrels, cats and the like from stealing food from the bird feeder, the method further includes arranging a cover that is preferably an umbrella-like flexible plastic sheet bendable into a form having an open top for receipt therethrough of the bottle neck and to cover over the bottle from around the bottle neck in an umbrella-like, or canopy-like, arrangement, which additionally protects the feeder trays from becoming soaked by rain water as might occur without the cover apparatus in place. Lastly, the method includes, of course, filling the plastic bottle with bird feed and thereafter securing the cap closure around the threaded bottle neck so that the plastic bottle bird feeder is ready to be hung in the appropriate spot in a backyard, porch, etc.
The invention further may be summarized as a bird feeder formed from a plastic bottle and having a plurality of feeder tray devices wedgingly inserted through special slots cut through the bottle sidewall. The bird feeder also has a decorative sleeve member extending around the bottle sidewall generally from the tapering upper part of the sidewall adjacent the bottle neck, down along the vertical part of the sidewall to meet the upper base-like, support member upon which the bottle rests. The bird feeder further includes a washer-support, or cap washer means interiorly of the closure cap. Thereby the closure cap may be thread-engaged to the bottle neck and the bird feeder supported by a line means extending through the bottle cap for affixation to the cap washer means whereby to be sturdily supportable thereabove at the other end by a hook, or the like. The decorative sleeve member may additionally include ornamental cut-outs or, for example, translucent design portions, whereby the volume of the bird seed in the bottle may be visually monitored for re-filling when necessary.
The invention can further be summarized as a combination of apparatus components, for a conversion kit, used in the modification of a plastic bottle into a bird feeder. The apparatus including a piercing-and-slitting device for cutting the sidewall of the bottle and piercing the bottle closure cap for the receipt therethrough of a supporting line means; and, covering means and decorative sleeve means each bendable from flattened sheets of flexible plastic for attachment to the bottle. A plurality of bird feeder trays are cooperative with the specially-shaped slots cut through the bottle sidewall, as made by means of the piercing-and-slitting tool, which are wedgingly insertable into the cut slots to be supported thereat by the bottle sidewall. A portion of the feeder trays extend interiorly of the bottle to receive the flow of bird seed from inside the bottle to then flow outwardly of the bottle so that birds may be granted access to the bird seed. The feeder trays are securely held at the slots and include a lower support flange means, to make the trays further capable of supporting the weight of the birds during feeding. The kit components further include a cap washer means and support hook means that are cooperative with a string, cord, or line, means for the support of the converted plastic bottle feeder from a porch, balcony, tree limb, and the like.